The Imperfect Tense
In Spanish, there are 2 past tenses which work together. Use the PRETERITE for actions and events: -That had a definite beginning and end -Were completed
The Imperfect What someone was doing: I was sleeping. What someone used to do: I used to play soccer. Describing the background or scene of a story: The girl had brown hair. Telling time or dates in the past: It was January 2.
Preterite Imperfect = I played basketball. I walked through the park. I was playing basketball. I walked through the park every day. The sunset was beautiful. She was eight years old. =
The preterite and imperfect work together The preterite and imperfect work together. Think of the imperfect as setting the stage. The preterite can interrupt the imperfect. “Moll De Grow era conocida como una bruja malvada. Vivía en Nueva Jersey. Le fascinaba ver gente triste….Un día, una nueva familia llegó a vivir al vecindario.”